Air bnb query????

sporina

The following is the cancellation policy with regards to the service fee on a booking I am planning to make on air bnb - but I don't understand it:

"Service fees are refunded when cancellation happens before check in and within 48 hours of booking."

How can it be both "before check in" and "within 48 hrs of booking?

Am I missing something?

Cannot find anywhere on the site to contact air bnb to ask them

Bubbaclaus

Within 2 days of booking, unless you have checked in.

fasterbetter

Hi

yeah it sounds crazy but I'll try to explain it.

AirBNB ave recently started to offer a "change your mind" option...so if you book and change your mind within 48 hours of booking you get your money back...all the rental and ...AIRBNB are matching this for the service fee.. so thats one part of it....if you cancel at some stage later later on AIRBNB refund the service fee you were charged.. the amount of the rental fee you get back in that case depends on the cancellation policy the renter has chosen (there are 3 or 4 choices) ...in reality, the combination of the two policies would mean that if you had to cancel at any time you would get the AIRBNB service fees back.

Whether you get the rest of the rental back when you cancel after 48 hours from making the booking depends on the particular cancellation policy of that renter.

The AIRBNB service fee is a variable percentage of the rental cost...typically 10% - 15%

Does this help at all?

fasterbetter

And what Bubbaclaus says is true also

Samuel T. Cogley

Don't over think it. It's exactly what it says it is.

sporina

fasterbetter wrote: »

Hi

yeah it sounds crazy but I'll try to explain it.

AirBNB ave recently started to offer a "change your mind" option...so if you book and change your mind within 48 hours of booking you get your money back...all the rental and ...AIRBNB are matching this for the service fee.. so thats one part of it....if you cancel at some stage later later on AIRBNB refund the service fee you were charged.. the amount of the rental fee you get back in that case depends on the cancellation policy the renter has chosen (there are 3 or 4 choices) ...in reality, the combination of the two policies would mean that if you had to cancel at any time you would get the AIRBNB service fees back.

Whether you get the rest of the rental back when you cancel after 48 hours from making the booking depends on the particular cancellation policy of that renter.

The AIRBNB service fee is a variable percentage of the rental cost...typically 10% - 15%

Does this help at all?

oh thats v confusing - sorry - thanks for trying...

I am only talking about the SERVICE FEE - I am not confused about the rental fee..

I just don't understand how it can be "before check in" ie if your not going obviously you won't be checking in,..

within 48 hrs of booking is understandable..

but how can it be both??

grr...

and cannot email them

Samuel T. Cogley

sporina wrote: »

oh thats v confusing - sorry - thanks for trying...

I am only talking about the SERVICE FEE - I am not confused about the rental fee..

I just don't understand how it can be "before check in" ie if your not going obviously you won't be checking in,..

within 48 hrs of booking is understandable..

but how can it be both??

grr...

and cannot email them

Okay you can cancel within 48 hours of making the booking. PROVIDED that's not after check in. So if I book on the 1st and check in on the 2nd I cant avail of the cancelation despite the fact that I only booked 24 hours ago.

Does that clear it up?

sporina

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

Okay you can cancel within 48 hours of making the booking. PROVIDED that's not after check in. So if I book on the 1st and check in on the 2nd I cant avail of the cancelation despite the fact that I only booked 24 hours ago.

Does that clear it up?

awe yes, so you can only get refund if you book more than 48 hrs ahead and cancel with 48 hrs of check it.. ? correct?

if so, they could have worded it better - its like a poor translation

Bubbaclaus

sporina wrote: »

awe yes, so you can only get refund if you book more than 48 hrs ahead and cancel with 48 hrs of check it.. ? correct?

if so, they could have worded it better - its like a poor translation

No. Its as simple as you can cancel and get a refund within 48 hours of when you booked it, unless check-in has happened in the meantime. Wording seems fine to me.

sporina

Bubbaclaus wrote: »

No. Its as simple as you can cancel and get a refund within 48 hours of when you booked it, unless check-in has happened in the meantime. Wording seems fine to me.

why would you check in if you want to cancel???

Samuel T. Cogley

sporina wrote: »

why would you check in if you want to cancel???

Because not everyone is as smart or honest as you and may think they can cancel AFTER checking in. There can be genuine reasons for wanting to do so like not liking the place.

4ensic15

sporina wrote: »

why would you check in if you want to cancel???

The way Air BnB works is that a person has to pay a deposit before they know they have been accepted for the letting. This encourages multiple bookings.

2012paddy2012

Do you have to pay tax with this crack

Samuel T. Cogley

2012paddy2012 wrote: »

Do you have to pay tax with this crack

As a host? Yes.

2012paddy2012

are you sure ....hear lots of people doing it , when i enquire about tax all say nope !!

irelandrover

sporina wrote: »

why would you check in if you want to cancel???

Because if they didnt add the check in part, i could book a place for tomorrow, stay there, and then cancel the booking as it would be within 48 hours of booking?

sporina

irelandrover wrote: »

Because if they didnt add the check in part, i could book a place for tomorrow, stay there, and then cancel the booking as it would be within 48 hours of booking?

do you mean if you had booked more than 1 night? so you could stay there for one and then cancel the rest?

in any event, the service fees seem €€€ to me - air bnb must be making a killing on them

Samuel T. Cogley

2012paddy2012 wrote: »

are you sure ....hear lots of people doing it , when i enquire about tax all say nope !!

They're definitely wrong. If they're doing it in their own homes they're confusing the RAR exception. If they're renting an entire unit they don't even have that excuse.

Claw Hammer

2012paddy2012 wrote: »

are you sure ....hear lots of people doing it , when i enquire about tax all say nope !!

There is a difference between being liable to pay tax and people actually paying tax. People may not be the declaring their income, but the Revenue gets all the details. If no returns come in in respect of their income, they can expect an audit, and to be hit with interest and penalties. The Revenue have made it absolutely clear that the income is taxable.

irelandrover

sporina wrote: »

do you mean if you had booked more than 1 night? so you could stay there for one and then cancel the rest?

in any event, the service fees seem €€€ to me - air bnb must be making a killing on them

I mean, if i need a place to stay for one night tomorrow, i could book a place on AirBnB, stay there, and then apply for a refund as i cancel within 48hours.

sporina

irelandrover wrote: »

I mean, if i need a place to stay for one night tomorrow, i could book a place on AirBnB, stay there, and then apply for a refund as i cancel within 48hours.

oh wow i never thought of that - either i am not smart enough or not malicious enough lol..

either way - i think that the host would have something to say about it if that happened

thanks for the clarification

newfreshideas

I also heard within 2 days of booking